ESPN will be facing some serious programming questions with the NBA’s lockout continuing at least through the end of the month.
They will be filling those programming gaps with and more Sports Centers at least through the end of November.
The Spurs were scheduled to appear in one of the network’s programming slots on Nov. 9 with a late-night tip against the Los Angeles Lakers. It was supposed to be the second half of a double header that would have started with an earlier game between Houston and Philadelphia.
Instead, ESPN viewers will watch expanded Sports Center programs and an NFL Live sandwiched around a Tuesday night football game between Temple and Ohio University.
I love college football as much as probably anybody in San Antonio. I know that Steve Addazio, the former offensive coordinator at Florida under Urban Meyer, is Temple’s head coach. He’ll be matched against the crafty and venerable Frank Solich for the Bobcats of Ohio University.
One of my best friends in the world is an assistant commissioner of the Mid-American Conference. I’m happy his teams will be getting a little extra publicity by playing on ESPN rather than ESPN2 as was originally scheduled.
But even with all that, please give me those late-night NBA games as quickly as possible. I’m starting to miss them — after only one night without them.